Big Island businessman
labored to expand
Hilo icehouse

PAUL KIERKIEWICZ / 1954-2001

OBITUARIES

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By Rod Thompson
Star-Bulletin

HILO >> The icehouse on Hilo's Banyan peninsula, which had supplied blocks of ice to fishermen since 1949, has closed due to the death of its owner.

Businessman Paul Kierkiewicz, 47, died April 19 in Queen's Hospital due to the failure of his liver and other organs, said his brother Jim Kierkiewicz.

"Paul was a hard-driving man and he was a smart businessman," his brother said.

Kierkiewicz bought Hawaii Ice & Cold Storage Inc. in 1989 and nearly obtained county approval to expand it to include a restaurant, museum and apartments.

But his plans were stymied when retiree Henry Ross, a frequent critic of government, complained that the disbanded Hawaii Redevelopment Agency had sole control of the area. The body was reconstituted, but county agencies kept adding new requirements without granting Kierkiewicz approval.

"He didn't know what side of the road to stand on," his brother said.

Just weeks before his death, Kierkiewicz filed a federal lawsuit claiming the county took value from his property by prohibiting necessary improvements.

Despite that, Kierkiewicz made major improvements in the ice-making equipment, his brother said.

Following Kierkiewicz's death, the company was closed because of danger from ammonia used in the equipment.

Potential buyers are interested in the property, but the future of the ice business is unclear, Jim Kierkiewicz said.